Pens



J. P. SQUIER June 26, 1956 PENS Filed Aug. 21, 1952 JOHN P. 50u/EH 1N VEN TOR.

.4 TTORNEY nited States Patent O PENS :John P.!Squier,i1)allas, Tex.Application August 21,'1952, Serial No. 365,570 7 Claims. (Cl. 346-140)This invention relates to pens and more particularly to ink Supplysystems forpens of the reservoir type which are adapted for use withrecording instruments.

Recording instruments for recording the rate of dow of gas from wellsand other varying quantities are'usually provided with movable penswhich trace lines on moving discs or .strips of paper, `Since suchrecording instruments are frequentlyplaced at vdistant or comparatively'inaccessible locations, yit is necessary that the pen be supplied withink from a reservoir of suicient capacity to lsupply the pen with inkfor prolonged periods of time, some times several days. The ink supplysystem for the pen must be dependable, for any failure of the inkingsystem to `supply ink to the pen may mean a loss of the desiredrecording of the variable quantity over a period of several days. Anymalfunctioning vof the ink supply which 'brings an over-'supply of inkto the pen may 'also `result in a loss of the desired recording due toblotting of `the record. The inksupply system for pens of such recordinginstruments should be capable of adjustment to vary the rate of llow ofink 'to the pen, since some pensvmay use more ink than others due totheir subjection to lgreater -or more yfrequent oscillations and also tovariations in their structure. The differences in the physicalproperties of different inks also necessitate the provision of suchadjustment. It is also desirable that the ink supply system be capableof being mounted directly on the Apen in order that `the pens 'ofrecording instruments rnay be equipped with such systems 'without anyalteration or'rnodification of the structure ot the recordinginstrument, hence the ink supply system must be of extremely lightweight.

Accordingly, it is one object of the invention to provide a `new andimproved ink supply system 'for pens of the reservoir type.

rIt is another -object of the invention to provide a new and improvedink supply system for pens of recording instruments which is capable ofsupplying the pen with ink over prolonged periods of time.

lt is anfimportant object of the invention to provide an ink supplysystem for means for adjusting the vrate reservoir to the pen.

lt is aft'urther object of the invention to provide an ini: `supplyAsystem for pens of recording instruments which can-be mounted directlyon the pens.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be readilyapparent from the reading of the following description of a deviceconstructed in accordance with the invention and reference to theaccompanying drawings thereof, wherein:

Figure l is a 'front plan view of a pen provided with the =ink supplysystem of the invention,

-Figure 2 is a side plan view of the pen shown in Figure l,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view showing the manner in which the penis employed to trace a record on a disc or" paper,

of low of the ink from the I' pens of the reservoir type having ICCFigure 4 is a lvertical sectional'view of the reservoir taken fon itheYline 4 4 of'Figure 2,

Figure 5 is la'horivzontal `sectional view taken on the vline V5-5 ofFigure 4,

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional View taken on 'the line 6-6 of-Figure'4, and

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary Vertical side view of the pen pointof 'the pen shown in Figures l and 2.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 designates aconventional `pen having an `upper arm section v11 which can be clampedto the operating shaft (not shown) of a recording instrument by means of`the clamping screw 12 which draws the bifurcated 'upper ends i3 and 14toward each other. An intermediatearm section l1S is adjustably securedto the lower portion of the upper arm section by screws i6 and 17 which'extend -through the slot i8 in lthe intermediate arm sectionintothreaded bores in the upper arm section. The lower elongate arm section19 is pivotaily mounted on the intermediate section by means of therivet 20. A micrometer screw 21 mounted on the intermediate arm sectionand engaging in a suitable threaded aperture in a post 22 on the upperend of the lower arm section 'provides for adjustment of the lower armsection about the rivet 2G. The lower end of the lower arm section has apen point 23. The pen 1t? thus described is of conventional structureand itwill not, therefore, be described in greater detail.

The ink supply system 24 includes a tangular reservoir 25 which may besecured at any position Von the pen arm but is shown as attached to thelower and intermediate arm sections of the pen above the rivet 20 bymeans of two bands 26 and 27 which are wrapped around the reservoir andthe lower and lintermediate arm sections. The bands may be .providedwith adhesive which firmly secures the 'bands to the reservoir and theback of the intermediate section. The lower arm section will be free tomove slightly when the 'micrometer screw 21 is rotated since it is notcontacted by either of the bands.

An elongate small diameter tube 28, preferably of exible construction,extends through an opening in the bottom 29 of the reservoir to a pointsubstantially adjacent the upper end of the reservoir and downwardlyfrom the reservoir along the lower arm section to apoint adjacent thepen point 23. The tube 28 could be fastened exterior-'ly of one wall ofthe reservoir if desired, but the illustrated arrangement of the tubeand reservoir is preferred since any link which may tlow over the outersurfaces of the tube from the wick will return into the reservoir andwill not ilow over the pen. The elongate tube may be attached to thelower end of the pen arm by a band 30. The reservoir, the tube and thebands 'are preferably made of a light plastic.

A wick formed of two strands 3l and 31a extends through the tube 28. Thewick is substantially longer than the tube and its upper end extendsoutwardly from 'the upper end of the tubeand then downwardly to thebottom of, the reservoir where the two strands are se` cured together bya knot. The lower end of the wick extends downwardly from the lower endof the tube and is led into the pen point 23 where it is disposedbetween the nibs of the pen. The lower ends of the two strands may be inthe form of a continuous loop, or they may be bound together, or .theymay also be secured together by a knot, and disposed in Vthe pen point.If the tube 28 becomes clogged, the wick may be drawn back and forththrough the tube, the knots at the ends of the wick preventingaccidental removal of the wick from the tube.

The internal diameter of the tube 28 is so small that the Wick ts verysnugly therein, permitting capillary tiow, but not gravity flow, of inl;from the reservoir to substantiaily recthe pen point'through the wick.The rate of flow of the ink is regulated by a needle valve 32 having atapered lower end which is inserted into the upper end of the tube topress the wick strands against the walls of the tube to compress thestrands and thus decrease the capillary ow of ink through the wick. Therate of capillary ow is varied by varying the vertical position of theneedle valve in the upper end of the tube so that the amount of ink inthe pen point will always be suicient to form a trace 33 of the desiredwidth on the paper chart 34 but will not be so great that the pen pointis lioodcd and thc trace blotted.

It will thus be apparent that an ink supply system has been providedwhich can be easily attached to any conventional pen of a recordinginstrument and that the ink supply system will not affect the accuracyof the instrument, since it is very light in weight, one Forrn weighingless than one-tenth of an ounce, and since the reservoir is secured tothe pen close to the point about which the pen is movable. It will alsobe seen that the ink supply system is provided with a reservoir whichcan hold a large supply of ink, sucient for operation throughout aperiod of many days. It is particularly to be noted .that the ink isdrawn by capillary action from the reservoir through a wick to the penpoint and that the wick extends through and iits snugly in an elongatetube 2S so that ink may not flow by gravity down through the tube.Furthermore, it will be apparent that the needle valve 32 insertable inthe upper end of the tube regulates the rate of ow of ink so that therate of flow can be adjusted for optimum results depending on the typeof ink employed, the actual physical structure of the pen and the typeof recording or trace desired.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory only, andchanges in the details of the construction illustrated may be made bythose skilled in the art, within the scope of the appended claims,without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. An ink supply system for a pen having an elongate arm provided with apen point comprising: a reservoir adapted to be mounted on said arm; anelongate tube extending from the reservoir to a point closely adjacentbut spaced from said pen point, said tube extending upwardly through thebottom of the reservoir and upwardly therein to a point adjacent theupper end of eaid reservoir; a wick extending through said tube andhaving an upper end extending outwardly from the tube and downwardlyinto the reservoir and a lower end extending outwardly from the tube andadapted to extend into the pen point; and a needle valve meansinsertable into the upper end of the tube to variably compress the wickto regulate the rate of the capillary ow of ink through the wick.

2. An ink supply system for a pen having an elongate arm provided with apen point comprising: a reservoir adapted to be mounted on said arm; anelongate tube extending from the reservoir to a point closely adjacentbut spaced from said pen point, said tube extending upwardly through thebottom of the reservoir and upwardly therein to a point adjacent theupper end of said reservoir; a wick extending through said tube andhaving an upper end extending outwardly from the tube end downwardlyinto the reservoir and a lower end extending outwardly from the tube andadapted to extend into the pen point; said wick tting snugly in saidtube whereby ink may be carried through said tube only by capillary flowthrough the wick; and a needle valve means insertable into the upper endof the tube adjustably compressing thewick in the tube to regulate therate of the capillary iiow of ink through the wick.

3. An ink supply system in combination with a pen having an elongate armprovided at one end with a pen point, said ink supply system comprising:a reservoir having means for removably mounting it on said arm;

said reservoir having a bottom provided with an aperture; an elongatetube extending upwardly through said aperture to a point adjacent theupper end of the reservoir and downwardly to a point adjacent the penpoint, said tube having means adjacent its lower end for removablysecuring said lower end to said arm adjacent said pen point; a wickextending through said elongate tube and having an upper end extendingoutwardly from the upper end of the tube and then downwardly to thebottom of the reservoir and having a lower end extending outwardly fromthe lower end of the tube into the pen point; and a needle valve meansinsertable into the upper end of the tube for adjustably compressing thewick in the tube to regulate the rate of ow of ink through the wick.

4. An ink supply system in combination with a pen having an elongate armprovided at one end with a pen point, said ink supply system comprising:a reservoir having means for removably mounting it on said arm; saidreservoir having a bottom provided with an aperture; an elongate tubeextending upwardly through said aperture in sealing engagement with thebottom of said reservoir to a point adjacent the upper end of thereservoir and downwardly to a point adjacent the pen point, said tubehaving means adjacent its lower end for removably securing such lowerend to the arm adjacent the pen point; a wick extending through saidelongate tube and having an upper end extending outwardly from the upperend of the tube and then downwardly to the bottom of the reservoir andhaving a lower end extending outwardly from the lower` end of the tubeinto the pen point; said wick tting snugly in said tube whereby ink maybe carried through said tube only by capillary flow through the wick;and a needle valve means insertable into the upper end of the tube foradjustably compressing the wick in the tube to regulate the rate of thecapillary flow of ink through the wick.

5. An ink supply system for a recording instrument pen having anelongate swingable arm provided with a pen point, said ink supply systemcomprising: a reservoir made of thin wall light-weight rigid plasticopen at its upper end and adapted to be mounted exteriorly on said arm,said reservoir having means adapted for releasably securing it on saidarm; an elongate tube of light-weight exible material extending upwardlythrough the bottom of said reservoir and upwardly therein to a pointadjacent the upper end of said reservoir, said tube having an elongatellexible section extending below and away from the bottom of saidreservoir; means on said flexible tube whereby said liexible tube isadapted to be releasably secured exteriorly to said swingable arm at apoint adjacent said pen point; and a wick extending through said exibletube and having an upper end extending outwardly from the upper end ofsaid tube and downwardly into the reservoir and having a lower endextending outwardly from the lower end of said iexible tube and adaptedto extend into the pen point; said wick fitting snugly in said tubewhereby ink may be carried through said tube only by capillary owthrough said wick.

6. An ink supply system for a recording instrument pen having anelongate arm pivotable at its upper end about a horizontal axis andprovided at its lower end with a pen point, said ink supply systemcomprising: a thin wall plastic reservoir open at its upper end andhaving a closed bottom and adapted to be mounted exteriorly on saidpivotable arm closer to said horizontal axis than said pen point; meanson said reservoir adapted to engage said arm to secure said reservoir inplace on said arm; an elongate flexible tube extending upwardly throughthe bottom of said reservoir and upwardly therein to a point adjacentthe upper end of said reservoir and having an elongate exible dependingportion extending downwardly below the bottom of said reservoir asubstantial distance, the lower end of said flexible tube being adaptedt0 be secured exteriorly to said pivotal arm adjacent the pen point;securing means on said lower portion of said flexible tube adapted toengage the swingable arm to secure said lower end of said tube to saidswingable arm adjacent said pen point; and a wick extending through saidtube and having an upper end extending outwardly from the upper end ofthe tube and then downwardly into the reservoir and having a lower endextending outwardly from the lower end of the exible tube and adapted toextend into the pen point, said wick tting snugly in said tube wherebyink may be carried through said tube only by capillary ow through saidwick.

7. An ink supply system for a recording instrument pen having anelongate arm pivotable at its upper end about a horizontal axis andprovided at its lower end with a pen point, said ink supply systemcomprising: a thin wall rigid plastic reservoir open at its upper endand having a closed bottom and adapted to be mounted exteriorly on saidpivotable arm closer to said horizontal axis than said pen point; meanson said reservoir adapted to engage said arm to secure said reservoir inplace on said arm; an elongate flexible tube extending upwardly throughthe bottom of said reservoir and upwardly therein to a point adjacentthe upper end of said reservoir and having an elongate flexibledepending portion extending downwardly below the bottom of saidreservoir a substantial distance,

the lower end of said flexible tube being adapted to be securedexteriorly to said pivotal arm adjacent the pen point; securing means onsaid lower portion of said flexible tube adapted to engage the swingablearrn to secure said lower end of said tube to said swingable armadjacent said pen point; a wick extending through said tube and havingan upper end extending upwardly outwardly from the upper end of the tubeand then downwardly into the reservoir and having a lower end extendingoutwardly rom the lower end of the flexible tube and adapted to extendinto the pen point, said wick fitting snugly in said tube whereby inkmay be carried through said tube only by capillary 110W through saidwick; and needle valve means slidably adjustable in the upper end of thetube to variably compress the wick to regulate the rate of capillary owof ink through the wick.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,258,317 Copley Mar. 5, 1918 1,720,226 Lovejoy July 9, 1929 2,213,098Smith Aug. 27, 1940 2,622,774 Mustard Dec. 9, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS498,030 Germany May 16, 1930

